The Resurrection

Introduction

1 Corinthians 15:1–23 ESV

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

As we celebrate and consider the resurrection of our Lord today I thought it would be fitting for us to survey this doctrine of the resurrection, to consider it’s origin in the OT, and its development throughout the NT, to consider what Jesus taught about it, to consider Jesus’ own resurrection, and finally, to consider it’s significance to the Christian faith and it’s impact upon the Christian life.

1 Corinthians 15 is probably the most well-known explanations of the resurrection, where the Apostle Paul describes, in detail, the significance of Jesus’ resurrection to our salvation. How it’s absolutely essentials to the Christian faith, to our salvation, and to the hope of our own future resurrection. However, Paul’s explanation is the culmination of thousands of years of redemptive history, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, I want to begin this morning by first looking broadly at the development of this doctrine in redemptive history, in order that we might feel the weight, and the impact of this precious teaching. That we might be affected by it as the church was in the first century.

Curse of death

The soil from which the doctrine of the resurrection springs begins, as most essential doctrines do, in the Book of Genesis. While the doctrine isn’t explicitly mentioned, the stage was set as early as Genesis chapters 2-3. In chapter 1 God created the heavens and the earth and every living creature, including man, who was uniquely made in God’s image. And Adam was given dominion over the creation, and charged with filling the earth and subduing it.

Furthermore, in chapter 2 we’re told that the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and [to] keep it. And we’re told in Genesis 2:9, that “the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and [so was] the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” And that the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:15-17)

Adam had before him two paths, to obey or not to obey. On one hand the pledge of eternal life as signified by the tree of life, and on the other hand the curse of death if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And, of course, we know the rest of the story, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and the curse of death came down upon their heads, and therefore the heads of the whole human race. And then at the end of Genesis 3 we’re told that God drove the man out of the garden and placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Apostle Paul would later comment on these events, writing in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Most of us have become so accustomed to death that we’re tempted to think that it’s normal. In fact, the evolutionary worldview is built on the premise that death is normal and necessary. However, despite how common death has become to us, we all know that death is an intruder, an enemy that takes life.

Sometimes the comforts of modern society make us feel temporarily immune to the effects of the fall, whether it’s modern medical care or just that we’re young enough that we’ve only heard of death, but no matter what, it comes for all of us, sooner or later. Grandparents that provided us fond childhood memories pass away, our parents who once took us on grand adventures can no loner join us, dozens of people from our high school yearbooks are no longer with us, we’re unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer, or one of our children unexpectedly dies in a car crash. Whatever the circumstance, as time moves on we become increasingly aware of death and the pain that it causes.

But it’s from this soil that the story or redemption sprang. The hope that mankind would one day be delivered from the curse of death. That a redeemer would come, an offspring of Eve, who would abolish death and the curse, that man would no longer die. That man would no longer be enslaved to sin and the curse of death. Therefore, in Genesis the stage is set for resurrection, the stage is set for the hope of life after death.

OT glimpses of a future resurrection

And as we survey the OT we see indications that the hope for future resurrection was present from the very beginning. The first explicit reference to a future resurrection is found in Job 19:25-27 when Job is defending himself against the accusations of his friends and he writes, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” The Book of Job describes the period after Noah’s Flood, but before Abraham and the Patriarchs. Job seems to fully anticipate his own future resurrection, when he will see, in his own flesh and with his own eyes, his Redeemer face to face.

Furthermore, throughout the OT there’s a general expectation that somehow God will deliver the righteous from the grave, or from Sheol, the abode of the dead. For instance, Psalm 49:15 is meant to comfort the righteous by promising future deliverance from the grave, it says, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”

King David expressed this same expectation in Psalm 16 when he wrote in verses 9-10, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” In other words, David doesn’t fear the immediate threat of death because he takes comfort knowing that God will not abandon his soul to the grave.

In fact, later, the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul would employ Psalm 16 when describing Jesus’ resurrection. They argued that while David was referring primarily to his own experience, that the Psalm was also a commentary on Jesus’s resurrection. After quoting that portion of Psalm 16 Peter said in Acts 2:29-32,

Acts 2:29–32 ESV

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

While David’s soul would not be abandoned to Hades, his body did see corruption, or decay. However, Jesus’ body did not, it did not see corruption, or decay. Instead, “this Jesus God raised up” and Peter and the disciples were witnesses of both the empty tomb and the risen Lord.

Finally, one of the clearest OT texts that describes a future resurrection of the righteous is found at the end of Daniel in chapter 12, verse 2, when Daniel is describing the final judgement that remains yet in our future, he writes,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

So, my point here, is that the doctrine of the resurrection didn’t begin with the NT, it began as a future hope for those who feared God that he would not abandon their souls to the grave, that God would redeem them from the curse of death, and that their redemption would result, somehow, in a bodily resurrection. While it was unclear how God would accomplish this, or details of the resurrection, it was clear to them that God intended to do so.

Jesus taught the resurrection from the dead

Therefore, when Jesus came, he came preaching eternal life, and teaching the resurrection from the dead. So, I want to take a few minutes to look at a couple of those texts, so go ahead and turn with me to the Gospel of John. Turn with me to John chapter 5, starting in verse 25,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

The last two verses parallel what we read back in Daniel chapter 12. However, Jesus distinguishes here between two types of resurrections, a spiritual resurrection and a bodily resurrection. Jesus says, “an hour has come, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God.” Here he refers to those of us who hear his voice as those who live, who were once dead, but are now alive. This is descriptive of those who respond to Jesus’ voice, like Lazarus, who was dead and laid in a tomb, but responds to the command of Christ to come out. Similarly, if you respond to Christ’s voice, it’s because you’ve been made alive, and given hears to hear, you were once dead, but now you’re alive.

However, he says there is still an hour coming “when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out,” referring to our future resurrection from the dead. Therefore, those who hear the voice of the Son of God now, will live, and are promised a future bodily resurrection. The two go hand in hand. Those who have eternal life will be raised up on the last day.

Then, if your turn over to John chapter 6, verse 40, Jesus says,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Notice, again, Jesus’ twofold teaching, “everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life,” and “I will raise him on the last day.”

Jesus the resurrection and the life

Then later in John 11:25, after Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, he tells Martha,

English Standard Version Chapter 11

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Now, the fundamental takeaway is this, Jesus is the resurrection and the life. In other words, he’s the one who will redeem mankind from the curse of death, he is the resurrection and the life. And all of mankind’s hopes for deliverance from the grave, and hopes for a future bodily resurrection rest with this man. Without him there is no escaping death, no escaping the grave. There is no other way to escape the penalty of death, only Christ, because only Christ is the resurrection and the life. He is the only man to ever return from the grave, the only man to conquer death and hades.

Jesus’ resurrection

And this of course is why his own resurrection was central to his ministry, and it’s why he spoke so frequently of it to his disciples. Now, it wasn’t until after his resurrection that his disciples finally understood what he meant, but Jesus repeatedly spoke of his death and resurrection to them. There are more than half-a-dozen instances recorded in the Gospels, for instance, listen to Mark 9:31-32,

Mark 9:31–32 ESV

for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

And eventually the chief priests and the Pharisees picked up on what Jesus was saying, because after Jesus was crucified and laid in a tomb they pleaded with Pilate to secure the tomb, we read in Matthew 27:62-66,

Matthew 27:62–66 ESV

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Now, at this point, the disciples had already deserted Jesus. After Jesus had been seized under the cover of darkness in Gethsemane, Matthew 26:56 says, that “the disciples left him and fled.” In fact, we’re told that the disciples ended up hiding themselves away in a room with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. The disciples had begun to despair over Jesus’ death. Even when the women traveled to the tomb early in the morning on the third day, they were shocked to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. They assumed his body must have been moved, and so they brought Peter and John back with them to the tomb, and after Peter and John found Jesus’ linen cloths folded up in a place by themselves John wrote, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb… ” (John 20:9-11)

Again, despite all of Jesus’ earlier predictions, the disciples weren’t expecting him to rise from the dead, because they were confused by what he meant when he told them he would rise again. Therefore, the empty tomb, at first, only added to to their despair. And even after Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene just a short time later the disciples refused to believe her report, Luke records that her words seemed to them an idle tale.

However, everything changed when Jesus began revealing himself to his other disciples. At first, Jesus revealed himself to two of them who were traveling to a village called Emmaus. He stayed with them for hours and broke bread with them, until he suddenly vanished from their sight. They immediately rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem to tell Jesus’ 11 disciples, and while they were talking them Jesus suddenly stood among them and he spoke to them. At first they were frightened and thought they had seen a ghost, so Jesus showed them his hands and his feet. Yet they still marveled in unbelief, so Jesus asked them if they had anything to eat. They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it before them.

He explained to them “that the Christ should suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem,” (Luke 24:46-48) and that they were to bear witnesses of these things.

Jesus continued appearing to his disciples for 40 days, until he finally ascended into heaven. Ten days later, on the Day of Pentecost, in the room where the disciples had been staying, the Holy Spirit filled the room like a mighty rushing wind, and from that day forward the disciples dedicated their lives to preaching the resurrection of Christ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The resurrection of Jesus Christ made them fearless, they were no longer despairing cowards hiding away for fear of the Jews.

Not the speculation of an empty tomb

For their boldness was no based on the speculation of an empty tomb, but their collective eyewitness testimony of Jesus risen from grave. In fact, here in 1 Corinthians 15 it’s almost universally recognized that verses 3-8 is a record of the earliest known Christian creed, probably crafted within 2-3 years of Jesus’ resurrection. The Apostle Paul included it here in his letter to the church in Corinth, and he reminded them,

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

The Christian faith is not based upon the imaginations of men, but the eyewitness testimony of hundreds of people. Some have tried to argue that the disciples were just hallucinating, but there were at least three independent witnesses, and often times Jesus appeared to a multitude of people, so unless you’re going to suggest that an entire group experienced the same hallucination at the same time the theory becomes difficult to maintain. Furthermore, Jesus repeatedly dined with his disciples, eating and drinking with them, and even when Thomas refused to believe, Jesus had him touch the wounds in his hands and his side.

The Apostle Paul also tells us that at the time of his letter most of the five hundred men that Jesus appeared to were still alive. In other words, anyone who read his letter could have investigated his claims, since most of the eyewitnesses were still alive more than 20 years later.

Furthermore, some of the eyewitnesses to the resurrection were hostile witnesses. For example, we’re told in John 7:5, despite Jesus’ miracles, that his own brothers refused to believe in him, however, after Jesus’ resurrection James (one of his brothers) became an important leader within the church in Jerusalem. One of the NT letters is attributed to him, and he presided over the church council described in Acts chapter 15. It appears that the resurrection had a profound impact upon James.

Similarly, the Apostle Paul, hated the church, and he viciously persecuted it. He was described as “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” (Acts 9:1) He was a Pharisee of Pharisees, and he sat under the tutelage of Gamaliel, who was a highly respected Pharisee and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. In Acts chapter 7 Paul is described as having approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. We’re told that those who were witnesses against Stephen laid their garments at the feet of Paul, suggesting that Paul may have played a role in overseeing Stephen’s execution. However, in Acts chapter 9, Paul was dramatically converted when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Paul gave up relative luxury to become a Christian, he had nothing to gain by becoming a Christian, but everything to lose, he gave up his life as a Pharisee, he gave up his political and social influence, to follow the resurrected Christ.

It’s also remarkable that the disciples were willing to give their lives to proclaim the resurrection. All of them suffered immensely for their faith, whether excommunication from their synagogues, beatings, imprisonments, ridicule, or eventually death. All of them suffered greatly for their faith. Therefore, it’s difficult to believe that they would have been willing to die if they secretly knew that the resurrection was a lie. Furthermore, the disciples had very little to gain from lying about what they claimed to see. In fact, they had nearly everything to lose. They gained no money, no girls, or glory for what they proclaimed.

In fact, at first, the disciples never believed Christ was raised. They were filled with despair at Jesus’ death and at the empty tomb. They were not expecting his resurrection. And they didn’t believe the initial reports of it. Yet the disciples went from unwilling to believe to fearlessly proclaiming the resurrection, willing to endure persecution and martyrdom. What changed? The resurrection.

Effects of the resurrection

Now, with that being said, I want to take a moment to consider the effects of the resurrection. It obviously drove the disciples to become fearless in their proclamation, but there are other consequences.

Christ’s vindication

First, we need to understand that Jesus’ resurrection vindicated him. Jesus made some colossal claims. He claimed to be the Son of God, he claimed to be able to forgive sin, he claimed to be the Messiah, he claimed to be God in the flesh, he claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to God, he claimed to be our Judge, he claimed to be the resurrection and the life, and the list goes on and on. And when you you think about it, it’s hard to think of anyone who’s made as many monumental claims as Jesus did. It’s staggering. And if any one man made all the claims that Jesus did we’d laugh him to scorn, and I doubt even the most gullible would swallow them all. Yet, there have been untold numbers of Christians since the early church. Why? Because the resurrection vindicated his claims.

Christ’s claims are true

Thus, the second effect of the resurrection is that Christ’s claims are true. The Jews accused him of blasphemy, and had him crucified for it, but Jesus was vindicated when God raised him from the dead. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:4 that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead”. How do we know that Jesus really is the Son of God? By his resurrection from the dead. How do we know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? By his resurrection from the dead. Why do we accept any of his claims? Because God raised him from the dead. No one comes back from the dead, no one overcomes death, unless they’re the one who has the power over death, unless you’re God in the flesh. Now, I’m not talking resuscitation. There are plenty of people who have been dead for a few minutes and then resuscitated, but eventually everyone succumbs to death. Even Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead, after being in his tomb for four days, eventually died, and now awaits his bodily resurrection on the last day.

Exclusivity of Christ

This means that what Jesus taught was true. That he is the way the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. Now, this truth is especially unpopular in our day, in a culture that hates exclusivity and truth. We all want to go our own way, to live “our own truth”. We say nonsensical things like, “That’s your truth, but not my truth.” Which makes me want to ask, “Well then, is that true? Or is that just your truth?” This is what the tree of knowledge of good and evil illustrated in the Garden, man’s attempt at self-determination, to decide for himself good and evil, to be like God, not realizing it only leads to lawlessness. And we’re finding that out first-hand in our culture today. But this means that all other religions are false and idolatrous. And we don’t like to hear that because we think we should be able to determine our own way to God, even after God has provided us a way. In fact, we often argue that unless you let us chart our own way then you’re not being loving, because obviously the loving thing to do would be to endorse and permit our pursuit of lawless self-determination.

Power over death

The third effect of the resurrection is that it established his authority over death. When Jesus appeared to his disciples while in Galilee he said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...” In Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus said to John, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” This is good news for the Christian because it signals our deliverance from the curse of death.

Christ’s resurrection ensures our own

Which brings us to the fourth effect of the resurrection, that Christ’s resurrection ensures our own resurrection, our hope of resurrection hinges upon Jesus’ resurrection. Paul says there in 1 Cor. 15:20-23,

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 ESV

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

And if Christ’s resurrection ensures our own, it also gives us assurance that those who have died in the Lord have not perished.

Atonement complete

The fifth effect of the resurrection is that it indicates Christ’s atonement for sin is complete, that his atonement for sin was accepted by the Father. The resurrection gives us assurance that our sins have been forgiven, that Christ’s work is finished. The resurrection confirms Jesus’ words on the cross when he breathed his last and said, “It is finished.” Paul says there in 1 Cor. 15:17,

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Because of the resurrection we’re not left wondering whether our sins have been forgiven, the resurrection assures us that they have.

Freedom from materialism

The sixth effect of the resurrection is that it frees us from materialism, it gives us the ability to go without, and to endure suffering and persecution. What many of us feel we must have in this life Paul could go without, because he looked forward to the resurrection. Listen to what Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 14:12-14,

Luke 14:12–14 ESV

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

We should ask ourselves, are our lives shaped by a hope in the resurrection, or are they shaped merely by the pursuit of building our lives here? Do we make decisions based solely on the basis of gain in this life, or gain in the life to come?

Judgment

And finally, the seventh effect of the resurrection is that it’s proof Christ will judge the whole world. Listen to Acts 17:30-31,

Acts 17:30–31 ESV

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

The resurrection proves that Jesus possess all divine authority, and the right to judge the whole world, therefore God commands all people everywhere to repent. And if God will punish his Son for the sins of those who repent and believe, then he will certainly punish the sinner who refuses to repent. Therefore, let us repent of our sin, and avail ourselves of God’s infinite mercy through his Son.

Prayer